The Girl Who Vanished

Chapter 19: St. Mungos

(TW: Mentions of injuries and displays of insanity)

                        Dear Ana,

                        I hope your summer has been going well since the last time we talked! Alex and I miss you like crazy. But if you were wondering, I did do as you asked. So I talked to my dad to check in on Aeron during his shifts at the hospital. Apparently, the boy isn't taking any visitors right now besides his uncle for obvious reasons. I've also asked my dad if he looked alright and he wouldn't answer. Said that he couldn't talk about it because of "patient confidentiality". I'm sorry. I know you have been wondering about him since he's been in there. Hopefully he gets back to you soon. Please don't over think this though, it wasn't your fault.

                        Either way, I can't wait to see you in a few weeks. Tell Draco I say hi!

                        -Lucy goosey

                        (P.S. Thanks for sending over those treats for my birthday, even though Alex did eat most of the candies herself.)

            Ana dropped the letter dejectedly as she laid back on her pressed white sheets. She had been religiously sending letters to Aeron since the end of term. Every day the manor's owl would deliver her messages and whenever the bird returned, Ana was disappointed to see that the bird brought nothing back. Day after day, she hoped that she would hear something but she was starting to lose hope.

            It was now the middle of an excruciatingly hot summer and the air was humid and sticky which Ana hated more than anything. Her long hair would plaster itself to her neck and no amount of fanning herself or showering made her feel any better, so she sulked in the uncomfortableness quietly. Draco on the other hand was incredibly loud about his discomfort. He would run up and down the halls complaining about the heat to Dobby while simultaneously making it worse for himself by sprinting around the Manor, but Ana was going to let him learn the hard way.

            The only comfort she had was messaging her friends and spending time in the greenhouses with her mother. Both Malfoy ladies would move around in a gentle silence, snipping away at tiny stalks and moving plants into prime placement when they needed more sunlight than others. It reminded Ana of her time helping Professor Sprout and if she closed her eyes, she could pretend she was there instead. But no matter how hard she imagined a different scenario, she would open her eyes to be reminded of where she truly was and it hurt her heart every time she did it.

            "Bibiana, can you hand me that dropper?" Her mother whispered calmly to Ana.

            Her black and blonde hair was pulled up high on her head in an attempt to keep cool and she was dressed down in a pair of overalls and a thin collared shirt. All the while dirt was caked under her finger nails. Ana knew in a few hours when her father would come home from work that her mother would change her attire into something more appropriate, but this image of her mother was her favorite.

            Ana fulfilled her mother's request and her mind wandered back to the Aeron situation. It killed her knowing that he was still at St. Mungo's and he didn't want to see her. She knew they weren't the closest of friends from the jump, but god, Ana grew to miss the friendship they were creating. The pain was starting to get to her and unfortunately, no matter how much she brought it up to her friends, there was no way for them to help since they were all in the same boat.

            "Mum?" Ana stuttered before her better judgement could hold her tongue.

            Her mother hummed in response and maintained her focus on the plant in front of her that she was extracting a sap from.